An easy pattern is "Just Can't Cut it" by All Washed Up. It is a simple pattern and I have made 4 Quilts using that pattern. All 4 quilts look very different. It is a quilt I would highly recommend for using for a guy because you only use one main fabric for a 12 1/2" block and then you use 5 other coordinating fabrics to make a 12 1/2" block. I first discovered this pattern when I longarm quilted one for a customer last spring. She had made it for her Grandson for graduation and I loved the pattern. I made one for my stepdaughter using the main fabric as a woodsy/cabins/evergreen trees/bears/deer from Holly Taylor line and then I used coordinating browns, burgundy, greens, etc. for the other block. She is very outdoorsy person and loves it. I made another one for me newphew out of a Holly Taylor line--it has cabin/fish/fishing poles and I used coordinating colors for teh other block. He is outdoorsy and a fisherman. I used the coordinating Holly Taylor fabric with the fishing lures for the outside border. I am going to give it to him for his High School Graduatio, this spring. Then I made two more that were more feminine. I made one for my 18 year old daughter for Xmas that is a called "Melrose"--by Red Rooster Fabrics--it has purples, greys, blacks, ivory, gold. It is a large swirls and leaves print and I used the one with the purple background (it's actually a plum color) and then I used a couple other colors from the coordinating line of fabric but then I added in a grey and a gold that were not part of the line. I also do not use the main fabric for the outside border like they show on the pattern. I buy a different coordinating fabric for the outside border. If your sister likes purple or plum, she may like this fabric since she's the same age as my daughter. My daughter absolutely loved it because it was someone modern looking with the large print. They have it online at
www.rivercityquits.com. At least I bought some extra hardage of taht fabric a few weeks ago from that website. That store is actually 2 hrs from me and I love it but it is cheaper to have it mailed than to drive there. You could use those fabric with any quilt pattern you chose. They had a sample at the quilt store made form a pattern with very small piteces in it and it looked nice. The 4th quilt I made using the Just Can't Cut It pattern was very feminine. The main fabric for the large blocks was a Peach with burgundy and tan flowers. I used peach, tan, brown, teal and burgundy for the coordinating colors. It had very feminine old fashioned look to it. My daughter gave that to her friend who is 18 and she loved it. Good luck with your projects. You are smart to start now already. Just figuring out the pattens and fabrics takes a lot of time in itself before you even start to actaully make the quitlts.